Swimming In Sweets
by Anitoon3
Summary: Levi is a swimmer. Isabel is a baker.


Hey! Here's my new Attack On Titan story!

It's mainly Levi x Isabel. As well as Jean x Sasha, and Eren x Mikasa.

I don't own the characters, they belong to Isayama Hajime.

 ****Spoilers for manga chapters 65 and 69 (Levi's family and last name). Don't read if you don't want to know those things****

That said, this'll be an AU fanfic. One where Isabel is chubby, and Levi is a swimmer.

Ok so I'm imagining that Isabel looks like either:

 **Yuuri** (Yuri On Ice – episodes 1 & 2) or **Kae** (Kiss Him Not Me – it's the picture on google where a skinny Kae and a chubby Kae are standing side by side)

Oh and Ilse is with an "i" followed by an "L". When I wrote this, I got confused so I looked up her last name haha.

Enjoy!

 **Swimming In Sweets**

 **Ch. 1**

* * *

"Come on. No customers are even here today! Plus you always say how you want to go but are too busy. Now's your chance! And you can go right home after, since we'll be watching the last event!"

"I don't know Sasha." She looked at her friend, who was currently giving her puppy dog face.

"Please Isabel? Connie can't come today."

"No. I have to finish cleaning the counter before our shift is over."

"How about I make your favorite cupcakes as compensation if you come with me? The ones that are the birthday cake flavor? I can even put sprinkles. You know you can't resist those!"

Isabel let out an incoherent mumble, glancing down at her pudgy stomach. Sasha did have a point. The two of them were the chubbiest out of their circle of friends. Not that anyone cared, or they themselves worried about it. Both Isabel and Sasha were healthy and happy, which was the most important part.

"Oh ok. Just let me finish this and then we'll go." Sasha cheered after Isabel said this. She had already packed her belongings, along with the small sign she made the previous day. It showcased a lot of glitter, which made Isabel smile when she read Jean's name. Isabel knew that Sasha would cheer loudly for her boyfriend.

The two friends worked at Jaw Dropping Pastries. The business was run by Marco, a cheerful guy who always treated his employees nicely. He always tried his best to be fair. He even listened to new ideas about recipes to add to the menu. Isabel's creations were more of a subtle flavoring that left a person enjoying the flavors which were just barely tasteable. Sasha's were wild bursts that grabbed hold of a customer's taste buds right from the very start.

People were recently raving about how delicious the little sweet shop was, and doing so helped bring in an influx of customers.

Isabel finished her task and went to change out of her uniform. Now the redhead wore clean clothing brought from home. Putting on a light blue shirt, dark blue jean shorts, and tennis shoes, Isabel left and went over to Sasha. The brunette dressed similarly but had on a yellow shirt with floral print, and cute flip flops instead of tennis shoes.

The drive to the community center indoor pool wasn't far. On the way Isabel and Sasha talked about anything and everything, much like they did at work when not helping customers. The two would talk about food often, since that was how they had met years before. Movies and television shows were also popular topics. Parking, they grabbed their purses and Sasha's sign.

Things were in full swing when they got to the pool. Isabel and Sasha had a good view from where they were in the stands.

Coaches were talking to swimmers, athletes were exiting the water, while others could be seen standing around near the benches talking with each other. Those participating in the next event were stretching and doing exercises to warm up. Some swimmers would adjust their goggles or swim caps afterwards. There were even members in the warm down pool, all moving through the water at easy paces.

Though Isabel did notice that one swimmer on the opposing team already had his goggles on before the upcoming match, whereas other people's goggles hung around their necks. It seemed like his goggles were really thick. Isabel didn't give it much more thought before Sasha started talking again, gesturing to a person who was now next to her.

"Isabel I want you to meet someone! This is Mikasa, we went to the same college together." Said woman wore dark blue shorts, a light purple tank top, and for some reason a scarf.

"Hi there, I'm Isabel! I love your scarf! Where'd you get it from?" Although Isabel privately thought the weather was hot enough to not warrant such a garment, she didn't say so. She noticed that Mikasa began to smile warmly.

"My boyfriend gave it to me." As if on cue, a swimmer waved enthusiastically towards their direction. Mikasa waved back. "That's Eren."

Sasha then remembered, "Hey Mikasa, didn't Eren swim earlier in the individual rounds? How'd it go?"

Mikasa blushed, though it was faint. "Eren was great. He won second place. And improved his time too."

Isabel and Sasha both smiled too, but Isabel's was a little smaller since she didn't know who Eren was and had just met Mikasa. Still though, it must be nice to improve oneself and have encouragement from a loved one.

The three kept talking until the speakers came to life with the voices of the commentators. The two women sat near the bottom of the bleachers, behind a small table. Both welcomed everyone and talked about what was about to transpire. "It's a marvelous day here at Shiganshina Pool! Both teams are ready to go! Tell us more Edith!"

The other commentator spoke enthusiastically as well. "Sure Cheryl! The two teams competing head to head today are none other than Shivering Sina and Wet Rose! Both have trained hard to be among the candidates for regionals! Earlier during the individual events…"

That was when Isabel tuned out the sounds and went back to people watching with Sasha and Mikasa. They all resumed talking with one another. Then Sasha suddenly called Jean's name and waved frantically to a swimmer. A guy turned and beamed wildly up at her. He was tall and had two-tone hair. Isabel thought that was kind of cool. Then Jean flashed a peace sign and walked away confidently, stopping by one of his teammates.

Isabel turned towards her friend questionably, "Hey who's that standing by Jean?" Sasha looked over and smiled when she saw who her friend was pointing at. Sasha then proceeded to tell Isabel what she knew.

Levi looked at their opponents. It looked like today was going to be a good match. Shivering Sina beat other teams and rose to being the top fifth team locally. The members they were up against were a force to be reckoned with.

Levi felt that his own team, Wet Rose, was driven enough to win this meet. If they did, then they would move up to fourth place and one spot away from being able to qualify. And Levi had no doubt that his team would do so.

Jean was their best butterfly swimmer. Levi was outstanding in breaststroke and freestyle, but often chose to swim the former in most competitions. It felt more comfortable.

"Hey Levi. You ready for this?" Jean was beside him, stretching his right arm overhead. His elbow bent so that his hand was behind his shoulder blade. Levi nodded his head. "Do you know who we'll be up against?" Again Jean got a nod in return.

Levi knew a lot about their rival teams. Sometimes he did research before a meet, usually conversing with Farlan about strategies afterwards. Though most of his opponent analyzations came from paying attention to what his coaches said during practices. The two of them would have the statistics very quickly.

Pixis and Shadis taught Levi and his team a lot. They provided helpful tips when practicing in the water, created schedules for their relay exchanges, and had time slotted in for indoor pool use when the weather was too cold. Occasionally healthy snacks were even brought to practice. Both coaches were a major reason in why team Wet Rose were coming up in ranks as fast as they were.

Levi looked at Jean, who was now stretching his left arm. "Yeah. Moblit Berner on backstroke, Dieter Ness on breaststroke, a guy named Abel who goes by 'Goggles' on butterfly, and Hange Zoe on freestyle."

Levi and Jean were soon joined by two of their teammates. Farlan would be in the relay doing backstroke, while Eld was swimming freestyle. Greetings went around before Jean and Levi got into their positions in line. Both teammates yelled encouragement for Farlan who was first.

Isabel looked on with interest as the two men took off into the water. Farlan and Moblit swam with powerful movements. She never knew swimming could be such a taxing sport. It was going at such a fast pace too.

Levi watched while adjusting his goggles. It had always fascinated Levi how Farlan looked so natural on his back underwater. Back when he first met Farlan, he had asked the blonde why he chose to swim backstroke. Farlan had stated that he liked looking up towards the sky while swimming. When Levi saw Farlan race for the first time, it made sense. Plus, it was his fastest stroke. After that nobody on Wet Rose had questioned him.

Moblit reached the other side of the pool first, with Farlan a split second behind him. Both pushed off the wall with almost identical kicks. Farlan kept pushing his arms upwards and back.

When they reached the halfway point on their returning lap, Levi stepped up on the starting block. Farlan touched the wall and Levi was ready. Isabel's eyes widened when she saw him gracefully leap off and start swimming. He moved so fast it was beautiful to watch. He was already ahead of Ness.

Levi kept a steady rhythm, occasionally breathing. Open and close. Open and close. Both his arms and legs moved with such synchronicity. Levi kicked his powerful legs akin to a frog, before bringing them back together to help propel him. His hands were together like an arrow, before they swept outwards.

Levi made it look easy as he sliced through the water, creating minimal drag. He would hopefully be able to beat his opponent. Though this was true, Levi made it a point to hardly look at Ness. Doing so would throw off his momentum. Levi tuned out his thoughts as he reached the end of his last lap. He took a much needed breath as he quickly spun around, going through the strokes one more time.

Levi's teammates cheered loudly for him as he made his way back. Isabel continued to watch in awe as she cheered. He didn't seemed to have any anxiety, only determination. In what seemed like no time at all, Levi was finished with his race. Isabel clapped for him, as did Sasha and Mikasa.

All three continued to yell excitedly as Jean swum. Although Goggles had much more speed in the way his feet propelled him, the guy was no match against Jean. Sasha excitedly told Isabel that her boyfriend could get his torso higher above the water than most swimmers. This was proven true as Jean took the lead over Goggles. Up and down he went, much like Levi except that his arms were out and wide open. Another different factor was that his legs were closed, while doing the dolphin kick. He was the fastest butterfly swimmer Levi knew. Sasha cheered as Jean touched the wall.

When Hange and Eld faced off swimming freestyle, Levi knew what it looked like to the people in the crowd watching this for the first time. They would believe that Hange would win the race. But Levi knew firsthand how Eld always did better at his turns. Because of this, Eld usually had the advantage of becoming slightly faster on his way back. A couple strokes later and he ended up ahead of Hange. Both swimmers had great reaching abilities, extending their hands as far as they were able in the water.

Every Wet Rose fan cheered loudly as Eld pumped his fist in the air, before he was helped out of the water by Jean.

The race had ended with 0.3 seconds in between the two teams, with Wet Rose finishing first. Levi was then pulled into a hug by Jean, Eld, and Farlan. More of their teammates came from the benches and joined in. Eren, Armin, Thomas, Gunther, Gelgar, and Auruo all patted their backs. Then they stayed in a circle celebrating for a bit.

Pixis and Shadis made their way over to congratulate the athletes. Mikasa had now joined Eren's side, and was congratulating him for his performance earlier. After a few minutes, Levi and Jean split off to go in the warm down pool. The rest of the team were busy talking together. Earlier that day in the locker room, all the Wet Rose members decided that if they won, the whole team would go to a celebratory dinner later.

After they were done, Levi and Jean got out and went over to their swim bags. Their backs were turned, so the two women headed for them went unnoticed. Isabel and Sasha shared tiny smiles before they reached the swimmers. Jean smiled widely as Sasha hugged him from behind. Letting go of Jean's middle, Sasha excitedly picked up the sign she had lain down next to his bag. They started talking enthusiastically to each other.

Levi glanced next to Sasha to someone he didn't recognize. She had bright green eyes, and wore pigtails in her wild red hair. She wore a nice outfit. The young woman was smiling at him. Levi felt his eyes widen slightly. He felt a weird sensation wash over himself as he stared at her.

Isabel couldn't believe she was seeing Levi face to face. Sure she had only known of him earlier that day, but there was something about him that made her want to know more. She could tell he had a lot of drive and passion for swimming. Levi's energy was affective, Isabel was very glad that Sasha had talked her into coming along. Watching a meet had been a lot of fun.

After a bit Isabel spoke. "Wow that was a great race! That was so cool when you were all divin' and splashin'. Plus the way you swam was neat too! And then it was over like _that_! You're really good, you know?" Isabel kept fidgeting with the strap of her tiny purse in her excited state.

Levi stared bemusedly at her. Then smiled a bit when she flusteredly introduced herself, Levi reciprocating in kind. Isabel was like a whirlwind of energy. She didn't seem to hold anything back when excited. It was refreshing to see.

Levi felt a tiny bit of heat pool in his belly. There was something else to Isabel, a glimmer in her eyes not caused by his fame. She just seemed pleased with his swim. And this wasn't even the best that Levi could do. With more training to be able to get to regionals, he felt he could up his time and speed. He felt short of his peak performance, his goal not yet reached when it came to this sport. It still felt nice though, listening to Isabel as she gave him these compliments based on seeing him race for the first time today.

"Thank you," Levi said. "I practice very hard." He then grabbed his small towel and started drying his hair. Levi detested having it remain too wet after a meet. Once he wrung out most of it, he let the rest air dry until he could shower.

While this was going on, some members of the rival team approached. Towel now hung around his neck, Levi looked sharply at them.

These weren't the guys they raced against earlier. Patronizing smirks donned each face. A snarkful comment about how Wet Rose would lose before the regionals were over was spoken, "I bet they won't even get close enough to smell the chlorine in the pool." They all erupted with laughter.

Those dicks were so annoying to Levi and his team. This was their third time facing off to these punks, and each time Wet Rose members gave verbal barbs as good as they got. Mostly it was from Eren and Auruo, who nobody tried to stop once they got riled up. Levi got angry also, but it was bad to cause a scene during or right after a match since it could cause disqualification.

Though it was difficult to keep his anger reigned in, Levi put a hand on Jean's shoulder to try and keep him from causing a fight. But that was before another guy said a jeer in rapid fire after that, "Hey I didn't know they let whales onto teams now."

Well. That did it.

Both Levi and Jean became even more pissed, before the two started towards the group.

Isabel got riled up too. How dare those guys pick on her and Sasha! She had half a mind to march over there and – Isabel's eyes widened as she watched Levi's towel fall off his shoulders, on its way to the pool. Forgoing her purse, Isabel didn't think as she dove for the dark blue fabric.

She caught it in her grasp, but not in time to stop herself from descending towards the pool. Panicking, Isabel felt her shoe lose purchase on the tiles as gravity pulled her down. Isabel tried to inhale air to yell, but rapidly started sinking in the water. Instinct took over before she pushed hard in order to keep herself afloat. It worked for a brief instant before she went under again.

"Isabel!" Sasha stared with wide eyes as she watched her best friend fall. Panic filled her and caused her to freeze. No! Why wasn't she rushing to help?! Her body wouldn't move!

Jean and Levi turned around. It took a split second to discern what had happened. Levi was the first in the pool, with Jean right behind him. Isabel was sputtering and splashing wildly until they reached her side. Each grabbing an arm, they swam to the edge, guiding Isabel along. Once there Levi let his hand remain its hold on Isabel's arm, as he used his other hand to heave himself out of the water. Both swimmers then pulled Isabel up and out.

Moving her away from the edge, Levi and Jean turned to Isabel. They made sure she was steady on her feet, standing to the side of her just in case. "What happened?" Jean was confused. Surely Isabel had been by Sasha the entire time? Turning to his girlfriend, he saw her break out of her frozen state. Isabel was cut off mid-cough when she gasped lightly as Sasha engulfed her in a tight hug. Sasha pulled away and started apologizing.

Levi finished his visual checkup, feeling better when Isabel stopped her light coughs and began taking deep breaths. Nothing seemed to be hurt externally, but he wondered about her throat. She must have inhaled some water. He knew how that burned going down the wrong pipe. "Are you alright Isabel?"

Nodding her head, Isabel smiled slightly. Holding Levi's sopping towel, she saw his expression go from confusion to understanding. "Yes I'm ok. I just swallowed a little water." Seeing their concerned faces not let up, she started to explain what happened. "On your way over to those jerks, this came off your shoulder. I tried to be careful around the deep end, but ended up leaning too far. I didn't want to fall in because I can't swim, but I wasn't fast enough. I'm sorry Levi."

Isabel felt a little sad as she gazed at the little blue fabric. That was until a hand closed over hers. She looked up to see Levi in front of her. "I'm so sorry you fell in, and that I didn't notice sooner. But thank you for trying to save it for me. I really appreciate you doing that, Isabel." Hearing Levi's words, Isabel felt warmth spread in her chest.

The feeling quickly went away as she heard laughing coming from the group trying to humiliate them earlier. Isabel saw Levi's eyes flash. He was too fast when she tried to grab his arm, keep him from going over there. Another hand reached out though, and stopped the short man where he stood.

"What the hell is going on here!" Shadis was mad. He listened to Jean quickly rehash everything, before giving the Shivering Sina members a searing look. Isabel and Sasha jumped slightly as Shadis yelled at the small group. He then went storming past them on his way to see their coach, Ilse Langnar. Well, more like telling her what went on and both reprimanding her swimmers angrily. The ones who were responsible all cowered before their combined wrath.

Levi was still seething, but tried to calm down when he saw Isabel's worried face. How dare they turn Isabel's almost drowning into a joke? He sighed. Well, at least Shadis was there to keep him from blowing their chances to get into regionals. Levi couldn't take it if that happened, and it would've been his fault.

Sufficiently calmer, Levi looked at Isabel. She was smiling, which made him feel better. He then felt Jean's hand on his shoulder. His teammate had a towel in his hand, offering it to Levi while drying his own hair. Thanking Jean, he took it.

Both swimmers were unfazed by all the yelling from across the pool. So was Pixis when he came up beside Isabel. "Here you are Miss, a fresh clean towel. What a fall you've had. My deepest apologies for what transpired here. Would you like to see our team nurse for a checkup?"

Pixis gave off a soothing vibe. Isabel shook her head and said no. He smiled, "Well aright then. But please do make sure to drink something warm soon."

Isabel dried as much of herself as she could. Her red hair now hung loosely, loose from the confining pigtails in order to wring it out. Her clothes and shoes were now slightly less soaked. Once she got home, she would immediately take a hot shower and tend to her things.

Seeing Isabel give the damp towel back to Pixis, Sasha then handed Isabel's purse over. The brunette felt tears well up before they started to cascade down her face. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to help, Isabel! I just moved forward to grab your stuff and saw you fall. You're my best friend and I didn't help you."

Isabel gave a soft smile, lifting her hands and wiping Sasha's tears away. "Sasha it's alright. Really. I'm glad you kept it from getting soaked. And I understand why you panicked. I don't blame you at all." Patting her friend's head seemed to help, even gained her a smile from Sasha.

They both looked up as Shadis stopped in front of them. "Hey. You alright?" Shadis hadn't been nearby when she fell, but he had heard Isabel's name yelled by her friend. That's when he rushed over and saw her fall. He stayed by the small group when she was looked over. He didn't notice anything wrong but wanted to be sure. At Isabel's nod, Shadis relaxed a little.

"None of what those assholes said got to you two, did it?" Both women answered no. Shadis felt relief. No way should these two believe anything those losers had to say. Especially if it had concerned their weight, which he heard from Jean when he first got there. People like that were scum, picking on others in order to get a laugh out of friends. Shadis was glad when Ilse decided on a fitting punishment.

Levi looked calmer than before, that was for sure. Granted anyone would be tense after what happened, but Levi seemed a little edgier than usual. Shadis knew he had to be quick when he had seen Levi's shoulders tense after the last abusive comment the other guys had made.

It was a tad surprising to Shadis. Levi usually wasn't one to get involved physically in these disputes with the other team. Even if before he could reach the asshats, he was prevented from doing so both times. Looking at Levi who stared at Isabel, it dawned on Shadis. It seemed like Isabel piqued Levi's interest.

Smiling briefly, Shadis went to go talk with Pixis.

Isabel looked away from talking with Sasha when she saw a swimmer of the opposing team heading towards her. They seemed friendly enough, wearing a sympathetic smile as they walked to stand in front of Isabel.

"Hello there. My name's Hange. I'm very sorry some of our team members treated you all like that. My team and I want you all to know that not everyone's like them. And also, I just wanted to check on how you were doing. You can't swim can you, dear?" At this Isabel confirmed with a nod and Hange's smile widened into a happier one. "Well, I hope you get to learn sometime. Granted that your experience didn't scare you?"

Isabel smiled and was enthusiastic, "Heck no I'm not scared of swimming! I just had a fall, that's all. I want to be able to swim someday!" Isabel saw Hange laugh boisterously.

"That's the right attitude to have! Well, I should get going. The rec center doesn't stay open forever you know. I hope we meet again!" Jogging, Hange went back to Moblit and the rest of Shivering Sina.

In what seemed like all too soon, Levi and Jean were ready to leave and go change. Isabel panicked. She had to find another way to thank them for dragging her out of the pool. Digging through her purse she found it. Of course! Why let these go to waste when she could invite such nice people over to the bakery!

Levi turned his head as Isabel tapped his shoulder. "Um hey Levi? I would like to say thank you again. It's not much, but here's some coupons to Jaw Dropping Pastries. It's a bakery that Sasha and I work at! If you all would like, you can stop by anytime and have something whipped up for you!"

He took the proffered coupons from her. "I'll be there, and bring Pixis and Shadis. Pixis likes sweet things, and Shadis needs to get that stick out of his ass. Jean will likely come along too, he visits Sasha often. It alright if we come after practice?" Levi saw Isabel smile wider, her body wiggling as she nodded eagerly.

"The more the merrier! And of course you can come after practice!" Sasha then called her name, looking ready to go. Isabel nodded and replied that she was coming. Turning back to Levi she said, "I'll see you soon then, Levi. Have a good rest of your day!" Isabel gave him a lopsided smile. She put her hand up and did a little wave.

Levi nodded and returned the gesture. "You too, Isabel." With that, the two parted ways. Levi heading to the locker rooms and Isabel walking towards the parking lot.

A thought suddenly occurred to the swimmer. Cupping a hand near besides his mouth he spun and yelled, "Make sure to drink warm fluids for your throat!" Levi wasn't sure why he had added that just now. He knew that Pixis had told Isabel the same thing earlier. She surely didn't forget the advice his coach gave.

Almost out the door, Isabel turned around. "Thank you! I will!" Waving, she exited soon after. That was nice of him to mention. Catching up to Sasha, the two started walking out of the building.

Later in her apartment Isabel was relaxing. She had stepped out of the shower not too long ago, feeling much better now that she was clean and warm. Going to gather her stuff where it was dumped, Isabel put her clothes in the wash and shoes in the dryer. She then made herself some tea with milk and honey.

Sasha had stayed over at Isabel's place, wanting to make sure she was ok. Making a quick stop at her own place, Sasha then headed over to Isabel's. After ordering take out, both watched corny movies until Sasha started drifting off into sleep. After saying goodnight, she headed into the guest room.

Isabel stayed in the living room a while longer before going to her own room. Once there she fed her small goldfish, before closing the lid and turning on the blue night light in his aquarium. Grabbing a book she was currently reading off her shelf, Isabel hopped into bed. She turned on her small bedroom lamp and read until she fell asleep.

After a slight mishap, the day had been a good one.

Levi was tired. He and the rest of the guys had gone out to eat at their usual hangout. The burgers were great and appetizers even better. But all the food he consumed left Levi full. He wanted to swim it off, but at this rate he'd probably hurl in the pool. Best not to then.

Not long after, Levi bid everyone goodbye and went back home. His apartment was small but comfortable.

His mother and uncle often came to visit. Kuchel was a very caring woman, always complimenting Levi and saying that she couldn't be prouder. And if ever she missed a meet, she would ask how he did, exclaiming with joy afterwards. Kenny often put his arm around Levi's shoulder and gave him a hug. Sometimes after dinner they'd even stay the night, his mother and uncle sharing the bed in the guest room.

Though they missed this meet, they promised to take off work for the next one. Levi never took it personal. He understood that both had demanding jobs. But he was always happy when they did show up, which was quite often. In fact, he had texted them earlier to let them know how his meet had been, and both said they would come over real soon.

Levi was glad. He had much to tell them.


End file.
